386: A secret place, an evil god

Two hours later.

In the endless void, the Emerald Flying Boat was piercing through the clouds, moving at high speed.

On the flying boat.

Shen Tu gazed forward, then said, "Two hundred more li forward, and we will reach Tian Yuan Province."

Tian Yuan Province is a central province of Great Xia, extremely prosperous, and the Three Sects, Tianyin Temple, Miaozhen Sect, and Hehuan Sect, are relatively close to this province.

And within Tian Yuan Province, there are also some cultivation families with decent foundations.

Lu Jin toyed with his folding fan and said with a light smile, "According to the information I've gathered, this mission might involve a secret realm and an Evil God! The danger level is immense, so everyone needs to be prepared."

Shen Tu said in a deep voice, "When we accepted the mission earlier, the elder from the Merit Hall also mentioned this. Regarding the secret realm, if possible, we naturally want to investigate it. If the danger level is too high, we can only settle for second best and just eliminate the evil cultivators to gain merit points!"

"Let's go to Tian Yuan Province and assess the situation first."

Jing Qiu said indifferently.

"......"

Xie Weilou stood aside, calmly observing the surrounding scenery.

Whoosh!

Shen Tu formed a hand seal, and the flying boat's speed surged again, rushing forward rapidly...

Half an hour later.

The Emerald Flying Boat entered Tian Yuan Province and then headed towards a city in the central region.

Not long after.

The flying boat arrived outside a massive city—Yun family City!

The group flew down, and Shen Tu put away the flying boat.

Shen Tu looked at the city before him and mused, "This is Yun family City, controlled by the Yun family, one of the cultivation families. It's also the designated meeting point for the Three Sects. Let's enter the city now!"

On the city wall.

A group of black-clad cultivators stood. When they saw Xie Weilou and the other three, one of the cultivators cupped his fists and said, "May I ask, what brings the four Daoist friends to our Yun family City?"

Shen Tu replied, "We are from the Saint Academy!"

"Saint... Saint Academy..."

Upon hearing this, the cultivator's expression changed, and his demeanor immediately became incredibly respectful.

He immediately flew down and bowed, "So it is the esteemed cultivators from the Saint Academy. The patriarch has given instructions for me to welcome everyone here! Please follow me to the Yun family mansion."

"Thank you for your trouble."

Shen Tu nodded slightly.

"Please!"

The cultivator led Xie Weilou and the others into the city.

Half an incense stick later.

The group arrived at the Yun family mansion in the center of the city.

At that moment, a young man in brocade robes, about eighteen or nineteen years old, walked over with a group of guards. A Xuanhuang Realm late-stage aura emanated from him.

He arrogantly glanced at Xie Weilou and the others, then looked at the cultivator and asked, "What is the background of these four people? What business do they have with my Yun family?"

The cultivator hastily bowed and said, "Reporting, Young Master Yun Han, these four are esteemed cultivators from the Saint Academy."

"Saint Academy..."

Upon hearing 'Saint Academy,' Yun Han's expression immediately changed, and the arrogance in his eyes vanished. He quickly bowed and said, "So it is the esteemed cultivators from the Saint Academy. Please forgive my failure to welcome you sooner."

The entire Yun family City was the Yun family's territory, and as a young master of the Yun family, he naturally could be arrogant. However, in front of people from the Saint Academy, he had no capital to be presumptuous.

Lu Jin said impatiently, "Too much nonsense. Just take us to your patriarch directly."

Yun Han dared not show the slightest displeasure. He immediately said, "Please follow me, all four of you."

Then, he led Xie Weilou and the other three into a grand hall.

Inside the grand hall.

A group of cultivators had already gathered, with many people from the Three Sects present.

Sitting at the very front was a dignified middle-aged man with a Dao Repository Realm Initial Stage cultivation. He was Yun Lan, the patriarch of the Yun family.

When Xie Weilou and the other three entered the hall, everyone's gaze instantly turned to them.

Yun Han quickly said to Yun Lan, "Father, these four are esteemed cultivators from the Saint Academy."

"Saint Academy..."

Everyone in the grand hall immediately stood up.

Yun Lan observed Xie Weilou and the other three, a look of surprise appearing in his eyes. He cupped his fists and bowed, "Yun Lan greets the four Daoist friends."

A middle-aged monk from Tianyin Temple, at the Dao Repository Realm Initial Stage, said, "Ku Zhu of Tianyin Temple greets the four Daoist friends."

A middle-aged woman from Miaozhen Sect, at the Dao Repository Realm Initial Stage, bowed and said, "Tian Lin of Miaozhen Sect greets the four Daoist friends."

A man from Hehuan Sect, at the Dao Repository Realm Initial Stage, bowed and said, "Yin Xiao of Hehuan Sect greets the four Daoist friends."

Shen Tu waved his hand lightly and said, "There's no need for such politeness, fellow Daoist! I am Shen Tu, and these three beside me are Junior Sister Jing Qiu, Junior Brother Lu Jin, and Junior Brother Fan Wei."

He briefly observed the situation in the hall. The strongest individuals from the Three Sects were all elders at the Dao Repository Realm Initial Stage.

"......"

Everyone stared at Xie Weilou and the other three, a look of emotion in their eyes. As expected of people from the Saint Academy, anyone who walks out is in the Dao Repository Realm, truly awe-inspiring.

Yun Lan said, "Four Daoist friends, please take a seat."

Xie Weilou and the other three then sat down.

Shen Tu looked at the elders of the Three Sects: "We have accepted the mission from the Three Sects to eliminate that evil cultivator, but we are not very clear about the details. We hope the three Daoist friends can elaborate."

Ku Zhu of Tianyin Temple said, "Some time ago, a mysterious evil cultivator skilled in illusion stole the Delusion Plate from my Tianyin Temple, then stole the Yin Spirit Pearl from Miaozhen Sect and the Profound Desire Furnace from Hehuan Sect. He also killed many people from the Three Sects. Afterward, the Three Sects sent Dao Repository Realm cultivators to pursue him, but they were all annihilated."

Shen Tu mused, "An evil cultivator in the Dao Repository Realm, able to steal things from the Three Sects, which have Dragon Transformation Realm cultivators in charge, is indeed not simple."

Ku Zhu said in a deep voice, "That evil cultivator's abilities are special. When he stole the items, the esteemed cultivators of my Tianyin Temple sensed him, but he still managed to escape."

Lu Jin lightly waved his folding fan and said with a faint smile, "Even so, it wouldn't be enough for the Three Sects to seek help from the Saint Academy. Let's talk about the secret realm involved in this matter!"

Ku Zhu and the other two exchanged glances. They weren't surprised by Lu Jin's words; such matters naturally couldn't be hidden from the Saint Academy.

Ku Zhu said directly, "Since that's the case, this humble monk will not hide anything. To be honest, the items lost by our Three Sects this time all came from a secret realm, the Evil God Lake!"

"Evil God Lake?"

Shen Tu's face showed a thoughtful expression.

Ku Zhu explained, "Evil God Lake is a secret realm. Legend has it that an Evil God is suppressed there. Back then, several forces went there, suffering countless casualties, and eventually obtained some items. Now, that evil cultivator has stolen those items, likely intending to go to Evil God Lake, and he might even be eyeing that Evil God. Our Three Sects are uncertain about this matter, which is why we sought help from the Saint Academy."

Back then, the Three Sects suffered countless casualties when they went to Evil God Lake, so they were naturally extremely wary of that place.

The Three Sects sought help from the Saint Academy, originally expecting the Saint Academy to send more powerful cultivators, but unexpectedly, four Dao Repository Realm disciples arrived instead.

The Dao Repository Realm is certainly not weak, but if they were to go to Evil God Lake, it would still be somewhat troublesome.

Yun Lan said, "There were a total of five forces that went to Evil God Lake back then, and my Yun family happened to be among them, and we also obtained an item."

He extended his hand, and a palm-sized white bone cauldron appeared in his hand. This bone cauldron was covered with layers of Restriction, sealing a surge of evil power within.